The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 555 - 57: The Most Intense Match

""Magic Johnson backs down Drexler... behind-the-back pass! Worthy catches, goes up quickly for the layup and scores! Worthy hits the Lakers’ second bucket!"

After the timeout, on their first offense back, the Lakers scored following Johnson’s plan, executing their most familiar combination of plays.

Johnson, with the ball, backs down Drexler from the left side beyond the three-point line, pushing inside, with the Trail Blazers’ attention all on the Magician.

Jabbar comes out to set a screen, James Worthy suddenly cuts to the basket, man and ball arrive simultaneously, he catches and goes straight up for the layup and scores.

It wasn’t just this play, soon, the Trail Blazers’ defense was tested by the Magician’s big butt.

As soon as there was a slack in the Trail Blazers’ defensive line, if a Lakers teammate found the opportunity to move, the Magician’s passes would get there right away.

Jabbar kept moving, Worthy, Green, and Scott kept running, and all their movements were under Johnson’s control.

This was where Johnson was at his strongest; he was one of the few who could still thread the needle with passes that led to easy balls under the high-intensity playoff defense.

Many point guards could make flashy passes in the regular season but faltered in the playoffs.

Johnson was different, able to break through the opponent’s defense with his passing just as he did in the regular season.

The Lakers’ offense grew smoother and smoother, but the Trail Blazers’ outside shooting became erratic, with Porter and Drexler missing consecutive shots.

The game went from 10:2 to 12:10, with the Lakers trailing by only two points, prompting the Trail Blazers to call a timeout.

Ramsay didn’t make substitutions; he arranged a sideline ball tactic, hoping that the setup would help the team regain some offensive rhythm.

He also instructed Drexler to increase the defensive pressure on Johnson and asked Mychal Thompson to spare some of his attention to Johnson.

"Leave the inside to Ah Gan, Ah Gan, you need to prevent AC Green’s offensive rebounds and cuts."

After the tasks were reassigned, the brief timeout soon came to an end.

The Trail Blazers executed a shrewd play, using baseline cuts to draw defensive attention.

Porter got the ball at the top of the arc and suddenly opened fire from the outside, hitting a three-pointer, easing the situation on the court for the Trail Blazers.

The adjusted Trail Blazers regained control of the game, with Thompson starting to double-team Johnson on the defensive end.

With AC Green left open, the Trail Blazers adopted a no-drive-but-shoot strategy, letting him take the shot if he received the ball on the perimeter.

If he drove inside, Gan Guoyang was there to play help defense, guarding against both Green and Jabbar under the rim.

This tactic worked quite well, and the Trail Blazers quickly launched a counterattack, extending their lead.

Both teams kept making in-game adjustments, and before anyone knew it, the first quarter came to an end.

"The pick and roll between Gan and Hornacek, Hornacek bounces the ball to Gan... the pass wasn’t great, but Gan still managed to get control of it. He pulls up for the jumper! It’s in! Woh! A difficult jump shot! 27:22, the first quarter ends with the Trail Blazers leading by five points!"

Gan Guoyang finished the first quarter with a tough mid-range jump shot.

The pick and roll with Hornacek and Gan Guoyang wasn’t smooth, with the Lakers defense piling on the pressure.

Despite almost being intercepted, Gan Guoyang still managed to score over the defense with a forced shot.

The remarkable core stability made even commentator Dick Stockton exclaim in astonishment.

A five-point lead, with the game’s momentum now in the Trail Blazers’ grasp.

The Lakers played a very good offense, one they are familiar with.

But this set was all too familiar to Gan Guoyang and the Trail Blazers players, too.

As the second quarter began, Gan Guoyang took a break, and Gilmore took the stage.

Jack Ramsay was somewhat worried that the Lakers would play three guards.

Even if Johnson wasn’t up, Nielsen could put in Wes Matthews.

The Trail Blazers only had one Ah Gan, and they still lacked a mature and reliable strategy to deal with three guards.

If the Lakers insisted on playing three guards and kept allowing Johnson to attack heavily, even using Gan Guoyang to guard him might backfire.

In a clash of stars, it’s impossible to be on top all the time; if Magic found the trick, especially with home-court referee bias, and if Gan Guoyang got into foul trouble, the game could become really problematic.

But Ramsay was relieved that tonight Don Nelson seemed to have no plans of using three guards again.

In the second quarter, Wes Matthews came on to replace Magic Johnson, and the Lakers utilized their standard bench lineup.

As long as they stuck to the standard game plan, the Trail Blazers wouldn’t be too worried; they could fend off the attacks comfortably.

Competing in game state and mental fortitude, the Trail Blazers were not afraid of the Lakers, their desire to win tonight was very strong.

Meanwhile, in another venue, at the Boston Garden, yesterday the Washington Bullets had already crushed the Celtics, leading the series 3:2.

The NBA was moving into a new era; teams like the Lakers and Celtics, old relics, should curtain call and enter the dustbin of history.

Wes Matthews tried to lead the offense in the second quarter, seeking to catch up with speed, but it wasn’t very effective.

Gilmore solidly guarded the paint, with his form improving steadily throughout the series.

At times, his rim protection was even better than Ah Gan’s, thanks to his tall stature and excellent wingspan.

One poke into the three-second area, even without jumping, made it difficult for opponents to score over him.

The Trail Blazers maintained their five-point lead, and after three and a half minutes into the second quarter, Gan Guoyang returned, replacing Mychal Thompson.